


Like Pieces of Driftwood

by SidewinderSlip



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Real slow, Romance, Short snippets, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-03
Updated: 2020-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 21:25:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22997053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SidewinderSlip/pseuds/SidewinderSlip
Summary: A series of collected memories as Russell returns to her childhood farm, rediscovers the magic of adventure, and has a found family grow around her.
Relationships: Sebastian/Female Player (Stardew Valley)
Kudos: 2





	1. We Take Care of Each Other

**Author's Note:**

> A lot of these chapters will jump in time. There's no real date as to when things happen, as the storytelling follows the game's slow, methodical development, both in character growth and relationship building. This is best for people who enjoy the slow, steady growth of feelings between characters.

She peered up at the drooping cabin and blinked her eyes against the bright springtime sun, her hand hovering over her forehead in a futile attempt to shield her gaze. Robin, the local carpenter, wandered around the cabin with her ruffled notepad, a pencil behind one ear, an extra pencil in her hand, and a measuring tape tucked into her armpit. 

“So not to be rude, but this is a damn mess.” Russell snipped from her place on the porch. Robin’s gentle snort of agreement echoed from the other side of the cabin. It wasn’t necessarily  _ small _ in the way some cabins could be, but considering that it had survived the last 15 years without completely crumbling to its foundation was a miracle. 

“Well, Robin is good with what she does,” Mayor Lewis dropped a box of supplies at her feet and dusted his hands as he stood straight, “and she’ll make sure you have a good home to stay in while you’re here.”

“I don’t doubt that, she’s been prowling the premises like a tiger on a hunt.” Russell joked, watching as the carpenter’s bright ginger head popped up from behind a railing. “Grandpa would’a liked her spunk for sure.” That got a laugh out of Lewis, the first one since her arrival under painful circumstances. 

“Well, you have her, and me, and the rest of the town if you need anything. You just need to let us know. We take care of each other around here.” The mayor tipped his hat in a small bid of farewell and Russell let him go with a wave. It was a few minutes later before Robin pulled up beside her, a mad-dash of scribbles and numbers on the page of her notepad. 

“It’s not as bad as I thought.” Robin began, pulling the pencil from her mouth and using the eraser to scratch her ear. “It’s pretty sturdy, all things considered. The shed is the worst of it, but that’s because the framing was just planks of wood and not  _ logs _ like the cabin.”

“So what are we looking at, project-wise?” Russell glanced over the cabin itself, counting the number of coins per broken part she could see. 

“Going by priority? Roof I can do today, I have the supplies for that. The windows and door of the guest bedrooms next week, as I’ll need to wait for the train with new supplies. The silo looks good, but there’s a hole at the bottom that’s gonna be a problem in the winter…” Robin deftly flipped her first page and moved on to the second and tapped it with her pencil. “And you won’t be able to keep animals this season until I can replace your coop and barn, as there’s termites everywhere.”

“You know, that’s not bad.” Russell chuckled. “After so long, I was really surprised to see any of it still standing.” It would also mean she was stuck farming the land until the animal shelters were complete. Hopefully her grandfather had left enough of his books for her to figure out what needed to be done. 

“Your grandfather did good work, as far as I can tell. He would have given me a run for my money, if he had been in the carpenter business.” Robin laughed lightly, folding her materials into her arms. “I’ll come around later this afternoon with my wagon and we’ll get you cleaned up, all right?”

“Sounds good to me. I’ll see about getting the rest of your gold tomorrow when the train comes in. Thanks for being so prompt, Ms. Robin, I appreciate it.” Russell smiled gently.

“Don’t worry about it. Like the mayor said, we’re here for each other. I’ll see you in a bit!” Robin waved herself off and left Russell to her own devices. She turned to her farm with a sigh and hooked her hands together behind her head as she started down the cobblestone path to the fields just beyond the barns and coop. ‘ _ I’m going to need to test the soil. Hopefully the river through here hasn’t deadened it.’ _ The farmland sprawled out before her, grass and trees rolling over the small mounds of dirt and clung to the riverside with desperate fingers.

She could spot dandelions and some small sprouts of wild strawberries within the grass.  _ ‘It’s acidic, then. Hm. _ ’ She remembered her grandfather used to keep bags of lime in his old shed, but considering it had been abandoned most of her childhood, she doubted they would be there any longer. Further down the path, it wandered away from the fields and past the pond toward the lower end of the forest line.  _ ‘I wonder if Marnie is still this way. _ ’ The woman had been her grandfather’s old cattle-hand before he passed away, though Russell wasn’t sure she would have remembered little Russ Thompson from Driftwood Farm. 

The afternoon was still new, not quite into evening yet. She still had time to reacquaint herself with the old town and see if she could spot any new faces. She tucked her jacket closer to herself and slipped her hands into her jeans’ pockets. She followed the path through the woods until she spotted a new farmstead further along the river. ‘ _ That might be her old home. _ ’ Curious, Russell made her way toward the farm and could spy cows chewing through the new grass up front. 

The door was locked when she knocked and tested it. ‘ _ Another time, then. _ ’ Off she went, following the path still toward town. It was much the same where she went, the warm afternoon sun just bright enough to make it a nice day, but hardly anyone was out. It allowed her an unobstructed view of her new home and possible neighbors. The only location she knew for sure was Robin’s home and workplace, way up on the hill past the community center and near the old mines. 

The beach wasn’t far off, and she still had some hours before the sunset. She turned her feet toward the bridge and explored. The beach was small, a portion of it too overgrown with trees and driftwood that it was uninhabitable without major clean up. The white sands pillowed around her shoes as she dipped to pick up shells and conch shells, happily tucking them into her jacket pockets for later inspection. She bread-crumbed her way toward the docks, her jacket jingling from her collection and she spotted two people sitting on the docks closest to the old fishery shop. 

“Well, well!” One of them called, his hat smothered over his head. “When Mayor Lewis told me a Thompson was coming back, I thought he was out of his mind.” The man stood from the edge of the dock and reeled in his line. The other man beside him waited, curious and quiet, his long hair tied neatly behind his head, clearly the younger of the two. Russell desperately rattled her brain for a face, a name, to the man who greeted her first. 

“Ah, I don’t think you’d remember me, but that’s alright.” He tucked his fishing rod against the side of the shop and walked up to her, wiping his hands against his jacket and pants. “I’m Willy, I own the fish shop here on the dock.” For Russell, it clicked and a memory flooded back of a rocking boat and vomit.

“I threw up on you when I was six.” Russell blurted. A laugh erupted from Willy with a politely amused snort from the man still sitting on the dock. Her face flushed red and she tucked her face into the collar of her jacket with an embarrassed laugh. “Yeah, I think I remember, you and Grandpa tried to teach me how to run a boat, but I got seasick.”

“That you did.” Willy grinned, adjusting his hat over his head. “You grew up fast, Ms. Russell. I remember when you weren’t bigger than a Pike!” He held out his hand for her and she took it with a firm shake, surprised at the strength of his grip. ‘ _ Well, he would need a strong grip if he’s fighting the tide against the fish. _ ’ He let go and turned to introduce the man behind him. 

“This here is a good friend of mine, Elliot. Lives just up the way in the cabin on the beach.” Willy pointed out just over her shoulder. Elliot greeted her with a polite smile and nod of his head, his hands firmly behind his back. She took the hint and tucked her hands back into her pockets, the jingle clearly present. 

“A pleasure to meet you. Willy hadn’t told me that he knew the farmer moving in.” Elliot murmured carefully, the smallest twinge of surprise in his tone. “But we’re always happy to have another to the fold. Perhaps Willy will stay longer this time around.”

“Aye, I’m staying regardless, you nag.” Willy flopped his hat at Elliot, making the man laugh. “Ship’s retired and so am I. Running the shop is all I got, now.” Russell smiled at the camaraderie between them, charmed at the ease they shared. Willy brought his eyes back to her, grinning.

“You still take shells, Willy?” Russell joked, her hand out with a conch-shell gleaming. She vaguely remembered he would ‘buy’ them from her for bait on her little training pole. The older man laughed and plucked the shell from her hand, inspecting it with a critical, mocking eye. 

“Well. I suppose for you, I could make an exception.” He teased. At her grin, his smile softened and he tucked the shell away into a nearby container and picked up his fishing pole from its lean against the shop’s wall. “Here. I’ll pay you for any fish you bring me, Ms. Russell. Won’t have your Grandpa say I didn’t take care of you.” Russell hesitated, stunned still, glancing between the pole and the older gentleman. Slowly, she took it from his hand and held it gingerly. 

“Are you sure?” Russell whispered, uncertain. “I don’t — you don’t need to —”

“Hush, Ms. Russell. It was one your Grandpa gave to me, in any case. Take it.” Willy pushed it into her hands with a firm palm and settled her back into her nerves. Elliot watched curiously over Willy’s shoulder, his honeyed eyes darting between her and the fisherman. 

“… thanks, Willy.” Russell muttered, a different flood of emotion pooling in her throat. “I won’t break this one, promise.” Willy gave her a small, sad smile and nodded, appeased. 

“There you go. And if you need any help with it, just let me know. You’ll be staying for a bit, right?” He asked, his gaze flickering over her face. At her nod, Willy chuckled. “Good. Come by tomorrow, I’ll have a bucket of worms for you, I think that river just up the farm still has some fish in it. How’s that cleaning up, by the by?”

“Uh,” Russell floundered, grasping for the new string of conversation, “Well? Ms. Robin’s going to fix my roof today before the rains come in, and the guestrooms are a bit of a mess, but, we’ll work on it. The farm’s…” She sighed with a shrug. 

“Oh, aye. I walked through there not too long ago to fish from the pond up there.” Willy winced briefly, but added lightly; “Though, if you’re as determined as Harford, I’m sure you’ll have it running in no time.”

“Lord, here’s hoping.” Russell snorted, an itch forming at the back of her neck upon realizing Elliot remained with them, quiet and politely off to one side, listening attentively. Russell cleared her throat, “But I won’t keep you, I didn’t mean to interrupt, I was just wandering around, really.”

“It wasn’t no bother, Ms. Russell. You come ‘round here any time you like.” Willy clapped his hands and turned to Elliot. “You still going to the saloon, Elliot?”

“I had planned it, yes.” Elliot replied simply, a smile on his lips. “Shall I escort you both?”

“Oh, no, that’s fine.” Russell interjected nervously. “I still have to meet Ms. Robin in a bit, and if I get sloshed now, she’s gonna be shi— uh. She’s gonna be outta luck.” Willy gave her an amused snort at her censor with Elliot’s eyebrow ticking higher on his forehead. 

“All right. Well, if you change your mind, we’ll be there for a bit. Try not to fall in, Ms. Russell.” Willy patted her shoulder and walked past her with Elliot following closely behind. He peered at her for a moment longer before his attention returned to Willy’s back, his voice low and measured as they drifted away. Russell resisted the urge to smack her forehead and instead tipped her head back with a deep sigh.

‘ _ I’m an idiot. _ ’ She picked up her new fishing pole and eyed the sea just under the docks for a moment before deciding against it. ‘ _ It’ll be there tomorrow. As will the pond. I start now, I’m not going to remember to stop.’ _ She made her way back toward town, carefully slowing her pace so as not to catch up with the other two men. Soon she found her way around the winding dirt roads of the town and mentally marked the museum, the smithy, and general store. ‘ _ Doesn’t look like much has changed _ .’ 

She made her way past the general store toward Robin’s house, minding the path and watching for any passers-by she hadn’t yet greeted. The trouble with a small town like Pelican Town was that it was, in fact,  _ painfully _ small. Less than fifty people lived in the town and it would be far too easy to become the town gossip or outcast with just the wrong word or comment. She found her way to Robin’s front door, the ginger-head woman and her husband exchanging notes and paper before she walked up.

“Ms. Russell!” Robin chirped, surprised with wide eyes. “Did you… walk all the way up from the farm?”

“Uh.” Russell hesitated, her brain quickly drawing the maze-path she had taken through town. “… looks like I did? Oops. I can walk back?” She nervously shrugged, their expressions caught between alarm and amusement. 

“No, no, don’t be silly.” Robin cleared her throat, half a laugh formed on her tongue. “You can ride back with me. Demetrius here was just—”

“Actually, this is perfect.” Demetrius stepped in, his smile warm and welcoming. “I don’t know if you managed to re-familiarize yourself with your farm, Ms. Russell, but I was wondering if I could ask for a favor?”

“Demetrius!” Robin hissed at him softly. 

“It’s a small favor,” he barreled on, undaunted by the glare his wife aimed at his back. “The cave just beyond the cabin, would you have a use for it in the near future?”

Russell combed through her memories with a frown, “Are you talking about the smoking cave? The one just to the right from the backwoods path?”

“Yes! Just the one. A smoking cave, you said? Hm, I wonder — well, just the same, I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to let me experiment there?” Demetrius’ face lit up, hopeful of her answer. Russell couldn’t imagine a reason why he couldn’t use the cave, it wasn’t like she had meat to smoke, and any fish she did catch would be jerky long before they were smoked. 

“Sure, just, don’t use any chemicals or compounds without clearing it by me first?” Russell conditioned lightly. Demetrius's smile broke into a grin with his nod. 

“A deal! You wouldn’t mind if I came along to set up a mushroom farm in there, would you?”

‘ _ A what. _ ’


	2. Little Lady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Linus gets a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Characters will be non-canon (?), mostly because this is just a short and leaning on more on personal canon than limited dialogue with characters.

The first month had been the hardest one by far, Russell would decide years later. She hadn't seen much of the townsfolk for those weeks, as she had spent most of her time testing the soil, fighting the constant battle of managing its levels of acidity and alkaline jumps with each pass of new soil, water, lime, and minerals. Robin had been true to her word and managed to repair the roof and guest bedrooms before the rains would hit mid-month. The clean-up of the forest line and chopping trees down for fire-safety had taken a good solid week and half to do. It had been time for a break.

She had been able to greet and meet the townsfolk during a Friday night at the saloon. Most of them had shown up for a small celebration of sorts, someone's birthday that she had missed, and had been collectively polite to her, if not a little standoffish due to her sudden appearance in their mists. Not many of them had reached out to her and in her exhaustion, Russell could bring herself to smile for them, but not much else. She had left late that night, with the new moon blanketing the town in a dark shroud of silence.

This is where she met Linus, the only one for the longest time, who would be her friend.

"Is— someone there?" Russell asked into the darkness. A crash had sounded off the walls of the saloon when she stepped out, a garbage lid had rocketed out and landed near her feet. She bent to pick it up and gently made her way to the back of the building. She peered around the corner and spotted him, an elder man with graying hair and patched clothes. He stood silent and in his hands held a small trash bag that smelled vaguely sour.

"It's not what you think." He answered roughly, his voice cracked from disuse. Russell immediately shook her head and raised her hands to placate him, the lid forgotten in her grip.

"Hey, man, no judgement from me. I used to eat frogs alive, so at least you're being decent." That had been enough to give the man pause and she took a moment to drop the lid back on the garbage can's head. She wiped her hands against her jacket and cleared her throat.

"I haven't seen you around before. I'm, uh, the new farmer." She greeted awkwardly. '_Should I turn around and let him walk away? Do I walk away? The fuck do I do here?_'

"Russell Thompson, I know." He answered, his hands tightly gripping the bag he held. "I had to pack up my tent and move off your farm when I heard you were coming back." Russell gave him a hard blink as the words fluttered through her ears. '_Wait. Wait a second, is he_— homeless? _Here, in Pelican?'_ He hadn't sounded accusatory, but now she wasn't so sure.

"Sorry about that." She answered reflexively with a swallow. "You… been in Pelican long?"

He shuffled on his feet, but didn't bolt. "Long enough. I know the folks well enough, but we aren't friends. Can I help you with something or can I leave?" Something surged in her chest, an anger she hadn't left since leaving her job at Joja Corporation Tower.

"Why did you move off?" Russell hastened to say. The man deeply frowned and she continued. "I mean, we've seen the farm, right? Place is huge. You— you probably know it better than I do, now."

"So?" He asked suspiciously, eyes narrowed under his brow. He wasn't hostile, his body lax and his shoulders easy on his frame. The only tension was in his hands and she wondered if he actually feared she'd take the food from him.

"So, look at me." She answered with a gesture to herself. "I'm not exactly a farmhand. I could, you know, use the hel—"

"I don't need charity." He answered, words brusque. "I just came here to get some food."

"And we're in the same boat, you think I can afford Pierre's for much longer?" Russell snapped, her voice strangled to keep itself quiet in the darkness. "If you lived on the farm, then you know the land better than I do, and I could use the help if you got nothing better to do than dumpster dive." He blinked at her, taken aback by her tumbling words.

"You realize you're asking an old man to live on the farm. With you. A young woman." He clarified, his hands lowering from their death grip, the trash bag swinging lightly against his knees.

"Look, with the amount of work we need to do, we're gonna be too tired to do much else but swear at each other." Russell retorted. She couldn't let him go, not now. Her grandfather would never forgive her for seeing a need and not meeting it, especially in Pelican Town. There was no way the other townsfolk didn't know about him, didn't realize he was raccoon-ing his way through their garbage. Perhaps the sour attitude that came off of him in waves stopped them from helping, but Russell was nothing if not a hard-ass. She _was_ trying to run a farm, after all.

A small laugh echoed up from his side, "I remember hearing stories about the old man, but it's another thing to see that kind of stubbornness in a little lady."

"I could bite ankles with the best of them." She teased back. The trash bag was on the ground now, his demeanor a fraction warmer than the winter ice that had first greeted her. They stood in silence for a good minute or so before he sighed and the bag was left, forgotten by the garbage can.

"You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" He accused her lightly.

"Not likely, friend, not that I know you're camping in Pelican." She replied, her arms coming down to her sides. She shifted on a foot and rubbed her palms together. "I get it, you don't want charity, and I don't know what you got here with the townsfolk that I hadn't even _heard_ of you before now. I'm new. Start fresh? Hell, we don't even have to talk, I just need help and everyone else is— they got their own thing."

"Are you trying to take advantage of free labor?" His voice tilted with the briefest hint of amusement. She wasn't entirely certain he actually found her funny, or the situation itself, but she was going to take it with a grain of salt.

"I'm taking advantage of someone who's got a stronger back than I do." Russell amended with a twitch of her shoulders. "Obviously, you're gonna get paid. Can you imagine the haunting I would get if Grandpa found out I didn't? His grave is _right there_. On the farm."

"I know. I used to leave him whatever I found in the forest as a thank you for letting me stay." The man stepped closer to her and Russell's eyes widened. He was nearly a foot taller than her, but he slouched once he caught sight of her worried gaze. His hair was matted and his clothes were as patchy as she had suspected, but he looked to be in good health.

"You left the dried food I found?" She had thought at first it had been raccoons or squirrels that had used her grandfather's tombstone as a home. The man nodded, a frown tugging at the edge of his mouth. Russell softened with half a smile and chuckled.

"I'm surprised _you're_ not haunted, Grandpa hated cherries." She squared her shoulders and held her hand out. "Good to meet you, name's Russell. You can call me Russell or Russ." He eyed her hand for a few seconds before reaching out with his own blackened one and shook it firmly.

"Linus, little lady."


	3. Adoption Is An Option

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes family is found.

"So what's it called again, the flower what dance?" Russell asked with a grumpy huff, a yawn followed soon after. The sun had only crested over the hills and lit the farm in a warm glow. Linus chuckled as he leaned against his shovel handle and peered at her under his hat. They had managed to clear a lot of the farmland in the week or so that he had moved back onto the farm, but there were still too many rocks and plants that needed to be cleaned up.

"The Flower Dance, period. Where did you get the other word from, I hadn't said a damn thing after." Linus tossed the words her way with a shake of his head. "Making up things like you're daft."

"The nerve. Rude." Russell laughed as she dug into their storage chest for the massive watering container they had. It was an old barrel half rusted at the top with holes punched into one side so that when it rolled, it would water most of the dirt ground. It wouldn't do for plants, it would smash them into the dirt, but it helped when they just needed to keep the place from turning into a dust bowl.

"I got roped into working for a crazy lady." Linus watched as she waddled over to the river with the small barrel in her hands to collect water. "And it's at the end of the season, round the time summer comes in."

"Do you go to it?" Russell dumped the barrel into the river, startling nearby fish into the riverbank. The metal barrel bobbed and ebbed with the flow and she placed a foot on it to keep it from floating away.

"Who, me? Was that a real question?" Linus snipped at her, his shovel shoved roughly into the dirt. When she didn't answer, he sighed with a rolled of his eyes. "No, I don't go to that festival. I'll go to the others, because they don't require that I dress up, and it isn't romantically involved."

"Wait, do you gotta have a love interest to be involved?" Russell questioned with some surprise. The images of a weird interpersonal relationships popping up in her mind. Linus sighed again and hauled out a rock from deep in the dirt, pushing it off to one side.

"No, not necessarily. Yoba, what happened to not talking?" He chuckled. "It gives the townsfolk a chance to spend time together in a way they normally wouldn't have the chance to. Like the young'ns."

"Ahh, makes sense." Russell laughed. The barrel was full and she hauled it out of the water by the rope wrapped around it. "Being a teenager is hard shit. I remember nearly throwing up when I asked out my boyfriend the first time." Linus paused for a moment and peered at her with a searching eye.

"Boyfriend?" He asked lightly. Russell grinned at him, knowing he wouldn't pry on his own simply because of who he was and knowing to keep to himself. She pushed the barrel through the field, watering the dirt.

"Yeah, we didn't last too long. He was very career driven, and I was, too, but. Lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice." Russell answered cryptically. Linus gave her a hard stare and she laughed again, turning the barrel around once it hit the other side and rolling it back.

"Little lady, you're not very good at telling a story." Linus accused her, his shovel going back to work with a hard jab into the ground.

"Probably not. He wanted to go into engineering, I wanted to go into design. You think it would work out, right? But we found out we're too… controlling, together." She shrugged. The barrel was empty and she dragged it back to the river.

"And here you are, trying to run a farm?" Linus' confusion peppered his words.

"Well. That's, uh, that's a different story." Russell amended quietly as she dipped the barrel back into the water. "When I broke up with Zach, I realized that… Joja Corporation may not be the road I wanted to be on. I remembered Grandpa giving me a letter when he passed away, in it he mentioned feeling the same way, needing a change…"

"He left you the farm to come back to?" Linus caught on, quietly resting against his shovel again.

Russell shrugged, avoiding Linus' gaze. "I suppose. I'm surprised he left it to me."

"Well, I can understand that." Linus agreed with a nod. "A farm is a lot of work for one person." Russell hesitated again and wondered how much she could divulge to her newly found friend and farmhand. Linus caught her pause and waited, his gaze settled on her patiently.

"Not so much that. I'm surprised he left it to _me_ because I'm adopted." Russell replied softly. "Granted, I didn't find out until I was almost twenty-three."

Linus blinked, surprised, and hit her with a blunt question. "How did you find out?"

"Accident, really." Russell muttered, pulling the barrel out and starting the watering process again on a new section of field. "I had been hired by Joja Corporation, so I got my physical checkup done with another doctor that wasn't the family doctor."

"Ahh." Linus sighed knowingly. "So you found out you didn't match up with your family?"

"I mean. I shoulda known." Russell huffed, pushing the barrel with the end of her heel over the mounds of tilled dirt. "Dad's short, stocky, hazel-eyed and blond. My brother is not _as_ short, but he's a carbon-copy of my dad. Mom's tall, light skinned, blue-eyed and dirty blond."

Linus gave her a pointed look. "Little lady, how'd you miss that? You're not any of those things." Russell exhaled with a weak laugh and shrugged her shoulders. Her lazy, wavy dark hair and dark eyes had been passed off as recessive genes and her parents hadn't mentioned any different.

"Yeah. I had no reason to guess, and Grandpa wasn't any better." She rolled the barrel around out of distraction and accidentally smashed her foot, she winced and pushed harder. To be fair, the older Thompson had only been in her life until she had turned thirteen and he had passed away. Maybe he would have told her? Maybe not. Either way, for Russell it was a story now best left untold.

"Well." Linus hesitated and picked up his shovel again. "Guess we were meant to be friends."

Russell laughed. "Outcasts, right? I dunno, you act like my Dad does, you might like him."

"I don't like no one." Linus snorted, shoveling a pile of dirt off to one side for mulch. "Don't get it in your head we're friends, little lady."

"Sure, sure." Russell teased. "No friend of mine would come to labor on a massive farm with me with only a shovel, hoe, and a barrel."

"We sound like a bad joke." Linus teased back with a wipe of his wrist against his forehead. "We _are_ a bad joke."

"Hey!"


	4. Protective Is A State of Mind

"Yoba, I see her!"

Russell could vaguely focus on Linus' garbled voice echoing around her. Her head was throbbing and her heart felt sluggish. The limbs of her body were filled with white-noise and itched under her clothes. '_What happened to me?_' She couldn't blink, she couldn't open her eyes to search her surroundings. Hands gripped her shoulders, but there was a muttering of angry voices over her head. A third hand came to her neck, fingers pressed into her pulse.

"She's alive," someone gasped, breathless with relief, "hurry, get her up, and watch her _head!_" Someone's arm came under her legs and bent her knees, another arm curled around her back and lifted her. Someone hissed and a hand turned her head to settle her forehead against her rescuer's neck.

"She doesn't look too bad, Harvey." Mayor Lewis. She recognized his voice as the ringing in her ears faded. Her vision was still black and darkened, her eyelids weighing a good ton or two and far too heavy for her to open.

"It's not the outward appearance I'm worried about, I'm worried about broken bones or punctures! Look at that gash on her head, what if she has a concussion? Why did she come into the caves?" Harvey hissed, his hand adjusting on her neck as the person who carried her walked carefully out of the dark and damp caves and into the summer sunlight.

"I didn't think she'd go so far in." Another voice, this one she barely recognized as Marlon, the Adventurer's Guild minder. "At least, not with an old sword."

"What did I tell you about handing out weapons to the young'ns? Praying on their need for gold!" Linus voice rumbled and cracked over her head. '_Ah. He's holding me._' Her tired and rattled brain supplied. Linus' grip tightened over her legs and back as he held her against his chest, his breathing rough against her arm.

"You would think she'd have some wits about her if she's goin—"

"_Don't,_" Linus growled, his grip tightening again, "don't you throw this on her, _you_ know what's down there— did you even bother to _warn_ her?"

"Gentlemen!" Mayor Lewis snapped, his voice strangled with emotion. "We'll argue the point later when she's _not_ in danger! Let's get her to Harvey's clinic and you can have your discussion outside, but not one minute sooner, am I clear?" The men must have agreed, because the argument went dead silent as they moved. Russell rested against Linus' chest as he stormed his way to Harvey's clinic. Her eyes drew open finally by the time they made it to the town square.

"Linus?" Russell desperately wanted to rub the crust from her eyes, but her arms were trapped in Linus' deadly grip. The man's dark gaze slipped down to her and narrowed into a soft glare with a firm frown over his lips under his beard.

"Shush, you." He snapped. "Not a word until Harvey's done with you. Yoba knows—"

"Linus." Lewis warned from over his shoulder. Linus snorted and clicked his teeth shut. She could spy Marlon just beyond Mayor Lewis' head, his long and slender form a ghost under his cloak, even in the sunshine. Harvey opened his door and she could hear another gasp from inside the clinic once they stepped past the threshold.

"Maru!" Harvey's voice cut through the emptiness. "Get a bed ready, prep for a physical inspection, and I need braces for neck and leg."

"Right!" Maru jumped into action, disappearing deeper into the clinic. Harvey led Linus into the back area and Maru pointed to a bed she hastily covered and prepped for them. Gently, Linus rested her against the cold, flat mattress, his arms coming away with minor shakes. Harvey pushed a chair toward him as Maru returned with a tray of the asked for items.

"All right, Ms. Russell, let's take a look at you. Hello?" Harvey's face appeared above her, fuzzy and unfocused under the fluorescent lights of the clinic. Russell swallowed and attempted to answer, but only her mouth moved, silence followed.

"Ah. I see that new bruise around your shoulders and neck is the cause of that." Harvey sighed. Maru was at his side and offered him gloves, which the doctor snapped onto his hands with deft fingers. "Maru, prepare a low dose of acetaminophen, two-hundred milligrams to start, mark the time four-thiry-two in the afternoon."

"Got it!" Maru jotted it down on her clipboard and went around toward Linus, a soft smile on her face. "Linus, we'll take care of her, you don't have to stay here."

"If I got outside, you're going to have another patient." Linus warned, his voice low. Maru twitched slightly in surprise and glanced at Harvey, but the doctor only shook his head. Russell reached out and gently flapped her hand at Linus, her mind and memory slowly returning.

"Don't pick fights, Linus." Russell croaked softly. "It's not nice."

He only snorted at her and ignored her hand.

"Ms. Russell, if you could, look this way." Harvey shined a light in her eyes and made her follow the small point. "Good, doesn't look like it's a bad concussion. How do you feel, can you focus on that for me?"

"Um." Russell hesitated, her calculations going haywire in her head. "Neck hurts, shoulders hurt… my head feels heavy. My legs hurt, but not as bad as my head." Harvey nodded and turned to Maru who appeared with a neck brace.

"That's good. Here, we're going to put this on you, I need to check your lungs." Gently, Harvey lifted her head with Maru's help and secured the brace around her neck. Slowly, Maru steadied her shoulders and pulled her up to sit on the bed, her legs off the side and facing Harvey.

"Okay, when I say, breathe deep and exhale." Harvey ordered softly. At her nod, he placed his stethoscope against her back and instructed her to breath. She did, and after the fourth time, Harvey sighed heavily and his shoulders sagged with relief.

"Doesn't sound like there's anything rattling around in there, which is _very_ good." Harvey wrapped the stethoscope around his neck and pulled up a chair next to the bed. He reached for her leg and gently tugged off her muddy, wet boots. He winced at the sight of her ankle.

"Looks like you took a tumble, probably busted your head on a rock when you did, huh?" Harvey concluded and had Maru had him a clean, wet rag. He began to clear the skin around the area, inspecting it for any other wounds. Maru stood next to him with a salve and medical wrap in her palms.

"You could say that." Russell swallowed against her dry throat. "I didn't see the slime ball because my torch went out. I slipped, fell, hit a rock, and then another piece of rock came down from the ceiling."

"Ah, that's some bad luck. I'm very glad we managed to find you." Harvey nodded at her and reached for the salve from Maru. He applied it gingerly to her swollen ankle and took the wrap next. "You'll have to be off your feet for a week or so. Take a full night's rest and I'll send you home with some painkillers for it. Take no more than four doses every ten hours, okay?"

"Yessir." Russell murmured, ashamed. '_A week? What am I going to do for a week? We have the peppers and the radishes coming in next week._' She could feel Linus' glare as it seared into her back and a new level of shame hit her. '_He can't do it all by himself, we planted a full two fields of the stuff. Shit.'_

"Will you need any help getting home?" Harvey spoke softly, but his gaze slipped from Russell's face to Linus behind her. Linus shifted from his chair and stood with a grunt. Maru shifted slightly to stand behind Harvey, but her face remained pleasantly neutral despite her cautious step into safety.

"She'll stay here for now, I'll have to go get the cart and haul her back." Linus muttered. Surprised, Russell felt a flick of a finger hit her left ear and she flinched from it, blinking at her older friend. The flick had been gentle, but his face was hard and sour.

"Do not leave. If I'm not back tonight, I'm coming back tomorrow morning. Don't wander off, hear?" Linus commanded firmly. Russell swallowed and resisted a chuckle.

"Yessir. I'll wait." She answered, softly amused. Linus nodded his head and without a word to Harvey or Maru, stomped out of the clinic and then the door. Maru sighed and her shoulders relaxed. Harvey shook his head and pulled off his gloves as he stood from his chair. Russell watched him with guarded eyes, knowing that the impression Linus gave wasn't always the best.

"How did you guys know I was in trouble?" Russell asked into the silence. Harvey paused and considered the question, with Maru's curious gaze flickering between them.

"Linus." Harvey said shortly. "He came into Pierre's asking if he'd seen you. Apparently you were supposed to drop off a haul of melons, but you didn't come back when you said you would."

Russell winced at that. "Yeah, I had met Mr. Marlon just outside by the bulletin board, he was looking for some help with some monsters in the nearby mining cave." Maru's eyes went wide with her brow high on her forehead. Harvey gave a tired nod and pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

"That's what we figured. When Linus showed up, Jas and Vincent had seen you with Marlon, but hadn't stuck around to see where you went after." Harvey blinked and pursed his lips together, annoyed. "The minute Linus heard Marlon's name, he knew where you went. He rushed to get the rest of us together and look for you."

"I…" Russell hesitated, a heavy lead rock slumping into her stomach. "I didn't mean to cause any problems. Mr. Marlon said there was good pay for the monster parts…" And it was gold that she sorely needed. She had only barely survived the spring season because she had eaten through her savings to keep herself from starving, and to pay Linus for his help, but there had been no produce or animal product to sell. Pierre was well-meaning, but he had to make a living as well, and both herself and Linus had refused to stoop to Joja Market's supplies.

"It's dangerous in the mines." Harvey reminded her. "Even for gold…" Russell felt the hit of a ball of anger curl under her ribs. She frowned and glared down at her bruised and swollen ankle. She closed her eyes tightly, her fingers biting into the edge of the bed. '_You don't know. You don't know how hard it is to run a farm.'_

Harvey caught the shift in her and fumbled, "Look, Ms. Russell, I understand things can be tight, I struggle myself, I don't have as many customers as I need, but to venture in the mines means you might get hurt, you might not be able to work afterwards…"

"Harvey." Maru stopped him. She reached for his arm and tucked her hand against the bend of his elbow. "Not now, she's hurting. She knows. Here, I can take care of her from here, I need to clean her up before Linus comes back." And with that, Maru ushered the doctor from the room and pushed him back to his office. Maru collected a wash bin and a new rag without a word, and sat on the doctor's chair with a scoot to be closer to the bed.

"Here. Let me see your face, there's a lot of blood from the cut on your forehead." Maru explained. Russell lifted her chin and allowed the other woman to work the rag over her face. Russell could feel her arms start to shake and unbidden tears pooled at the corner of her eyes to drip down her cheeks and collect under her chin.

"Hey, now." Maru soothed, brushing her thumbs over Russell's cheeks. "Are you hurt? Is it your ankle?"

"No, ma'am." Russell bit out. She leaned away from Maru's warm hands and swiped the back of her hand over her face to clear away the tears. Old blood smeared faintly over her fingers and she ignored the nausea that bubbled in her throat. "I'm just…"

"Angry?" Maru added knowingly. She chuckled and cleaned the rag in her hands with the bucket by her feet. "I can understand that. I was very surprised that someone would decide to come _live_ here when nothing ever happens here."

"Zuzu City isn't much better." Russell cleared her throat and leaned away slightly to roll her pained shoulders. "The city is far more expensive to live in than here, even with Pierre's pricing. You gotta work all day, or be a higher up manager to make enough to survive."

Maru whistled. "That does sound rough. Is that why you decided to come here?"

"No." Russell answered tightly with a wince. "I came here because I was losing my mind in the constant drill of going to work, going home to eat and sleep, back to work, back home, on and on… I was tired." Maru watched her carefully with serious and inquisitive eyes. Russell wondered if the woman before her had never left Pelican Town before and softened her demeanor. '_They don't know what the city is like. That monsters and slimes and bats are far less daunting than a cubicle in the corporation building._'

"Not very fulfilling, is it?" Maru tempered with a curious tint of her words.

Russell shook her head. "No, not really. I came here because I could actually do something with myself, but here I am just causing trouble for everyone around me."

"It's no trouble, really. We look out for each other here in Pelican." Maru brought the rag back up to her face and wiped away the last of the blood. "You should have heard the gossip that went around town when we found out Linus was living back on the farm again."

"Yeah, I figured something would start up." Russell sighed. "But, I needed the help and no one else was going to be able."

Maru paused, saddened. "I guess you are right. Linus… is a hard man to get along with, he never really talks to the rest of us, and whenever we tried to help him, he'd just ignore us."

"Yeah, he's an asshole." Russell confirmed and at Maru's shocked face, she burst into laughter. "What? He is. A good asshole, but he still swears. He still gets grumpy. He's just… different than you guys."

"How did you get him to help you?" Maru probed, the surprise present in her dark eyes.

"I told him if he wanted to be an ass, I could be an ass, too." Russell laughed. "Not quite like that, but he's a special case, like my Dad. You can't really sweet-talk a wasp, you know?" Maru's crack of laughter brought a smile to Russell's face and she felt herself relaxing with the other woman. There was definitely an intelligence to her that was different than the other townsfolk shared. Probably because of her parents, the scientist and the carpenter.

"Well, I don't mind doing odd jobs now and again." Maru grinned. "And if you're this funny hurting, I can't imagine what you're like when everything is fine. I might come to work on the farm myself."

"Well, I can't pay you, yet." Russell grinned. "But it would be nice to have Linus boss someone _else_ around for once."


End file.
